Guys Like Me

“The greatest of all myths about wars is that they come to an end. This deeply personal, very human book shows how ten, twenty, thirty, sixty years later their hurts and scars live on in those who fought them. Michael Messner has brought on stage some eloquent survivors whom our politicians should listen to before they dare even consider sending young men and women out to fight yet again.”

~Adam Hochschild, author of To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918

“There is a revelation on every page of Guys Like Me. The journey any man takes to transform his sense of his own manliness isn’t direct or simple. And, as Michael Messner shows us in these five engaging life histories, each gendered journey will have added twists and turns when distorted by militarism. A truly humane book." 

~Cynthia Enloe, author of The Big Push: Exposing and Challenging Persistent Patriarchy

"With Guys Like Me, Michael Messner delivers an eloquent, passionate, and moving account of how war has sometimes moved veterans towards peace. Messner’s interviewees give us hope that humanity might yet one day listen to the soldiers who have gone to war, the ones who tell us, again and again, that war’s devastation is never worth it."

~Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer

"Michael Messner is our new Studs Terkel. His five men speak with extraordinary eloquence about the psychic wounds they suffered in war, and the moral odysseys they undertook to break the silence that surrounds the human cost of war in the United States. Each man fought in a different war, but each tells a common story of exploitation by their own government and a descent into numbness, followed by redemption.  These men form an intergenerational chain reflecting with honesty and courage on masculinity and war. Messner describes and analyzes their experiences with warmth and insight. Essential reading for those seeking to understand military veterans." 

~Hugh Gusterson, author of Drone: Remote Control Warfare

"Messner's narrative points the way for other activists seeking to build popular opposition movements."

~Kirkus Reviews

"The true meaning of Armistice Day — a commitment to peace," by Susan Bell

~USCDornsife

"Professor to publish book following lives of veteran" by Joelle Tenderich

~Daily Trojan

"This book tells the stories of five veterans of five U.S. wars: WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq Parts I and II. We learn their stories from long before they entered the military through long after they left it. The stories are well-told, with subtlety and complexity, not museum-like propaganda. Patterns become evident without the book becoming repetitious. Each person is unique, but each confronts the same monster."

~World Beyond War

"Veterans have fought in wars – and fought against them," by Michael Messner

~The Conversation

"All five [veterans] are unique and engaging storytellers who pack the book with human interest....The testimonies of these varied, thoughtful, and racially diverse veterans are at stark odds with the cinematic ads we see of government-approved pro-war imagery, and it’s important they be heard."

~Foreword Reviews

"Vermont Conversation with David Goodman" with Mike Messner and veterans Daniel Craig, Jonathan Hutto, and Ken Mayers

~Vermont Conversation with David Goodman

"The Page 99 Test" with Michael Messner

~The Page 99 Test

Excerpt of Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace in the Spring 2019 issue of Voice Male Magazine

~Voice Mail Magazine

"Can the Military Be Reformed? Six Unusual Veterans Ponder Active Duty and Its Aftermath," by Steve Early

~LA Progressive

"Guys Like Me is well written; Messner does a fine job of telling the men’s stories, conveying the complexity of their struggles by sharing their words and providing vivid details about their lives. What we see are real people, confused and lost at times, trying to reclaim their humanity and repair the damage caused by participating in organized violence." 

~Gender and Society

Reprint of LA Progressive's "Can the Military Be Reformed?: Six Unusual Veterans Ponder Active Duty and Its Aftermath," by Steve Early

~CounterPunch Magazine

"From Manly Silence to Projects of Peace," by Michael A. Messner

 

~Gender and Society Blog

"Sociologist Michael Messner uses [sociological imagination] to better understand men’s experiences in war and how they come to make sense of these experiences over the course of their lives. His book, Guys Like Me: Five Wars, Five Veterans for Peace, examines the life stories of veterans to understand how they have grappled with their experiences in war and how this is connected with constructions of masculinity."

~Everyday Sociology

"[Messner has] a remarkable ability to elicit stunning memories and reflections from his subjects. But the work is much more than a splendid oral history, though it's that for sure; his approach and interpretations make it a book like no other." 

~John Ibson, author of Picturing Men: A Century of Male Relationships in Everyday American Photography

"Peace advocates have long been found among veterans who fought in America’s wars," by Michael Messner
https://theconversation.com/peace-advocates-have-long-been-found-among-veterans-who-fought-in-americas-wars-126467

~The Conversation

"Serving Veterans" by Dave Pugl

~Library Journal